Our Five Senses

Kindergarten - Life Science

This unit is designed to introduce students to their five senses and how humans use them to learn about their environment.

Main Standard:  S8b

Supporting Standards: 

  Science:  S5f; S7a; S8a; S8b

  English Language Arts: 

Kindergarten Speaking and Listening Standard 1: Habits
Kindergarten Writing Standard 1: Habits and Processes; Kindergarten Writing Standard 3:   Language Use and Conventions;
Kindergarten Reading Standard 1: Print - Sound Code
Kindergarten Reading Standard 3: Habits

  Other:  Chariho Technology Standards:  3.9

How do you use your senses every day?

Assess prior knowledge:  The class will create a KWL chart.  The teacher will bring in some items hidden in a box or a bag to represent each of the five senses.  The items will be shown to the students one at a time.  The students will be asked to tell about the object.  As the students give their responses the teacher will record them on a sense specific chart (i.e. tastes responses are recorded on a chart shaped like a chocolate bar, smell responses on a chart shaped like a nose...) V/L; Intra
Standards Addressed:  S5f; Kindergarten Speaking and Listening Standard 1 Habits

a.  As an introduction, the teacher will read the book, My Five Senses by Judy Nayer (Big Book), to the class.  V/L
Standards Addressed:  Kindergarten Reading Standard 3 Habits; Kindergarten Speaking and Listening Standard 1 Habits

b.  The teacher will introduce a five senses poem, Five Little Senses.  M/R
Standard Addressed:  Kindergarten Reading Standard 3 Habits

Sight:  The class will go on a silent sight walk.  Upon return, the students will illustrate something that they saw while outside.  Then the students will share what they saw with the class.  This will be charted by the teacher.  The teacher will then read the book I Went Walking to the class.  B/K; Na
The students will learn the sight stanza of the song, Sing a Song of Senses.  M/R
Standards Addressed:  S7a; S8b; Kindergarten Speaking and Listening Standard 1: Habits; Kindergarten Reading Standard 3: Habits

Hearing:  Have children sit quietly for approximately thirty seconds and then ask what sounds they heard.  Responses may be written on chart paper. 
The teacher will introduce the game, Listening Bingo, to the class.  This will become part of their center activities for the week/month.
Using empty film canister, the students will try to guess what is insides by shaking the container and using their sense of hearing.
The teacher will read the book Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear?
The students will learn the hearing stanza of the song, Sing a Song of Senses.
B/K; V/L; M/R
Standards Addressed:  S7a; Kindergarten Speaking and Listening Standard 1: Habits; Kindergarten Reading Standard 3: Habits

Smell:  Sniffing Jars/Eggs - Prepare sniffing jars so that they students will be able to smell what is inside.  The jars are covered so that the students cannot see what is inside.  The students try to guess what is inside.
The teacher will pop popcorn.  The students will eat this while the teacher reads The Popcorn Book by Tomi DePaolo and/or I Can Smell
The students will learn the smell stanza of the song, Sing a Song of Senses.
Intra; M/R
Standards Addressed:  S7a; Kindergarten Speaking and Listening Standard 1: Habits; Kindergarten Reading Standard 3: Habits

Extension Activities:  Add extracts such as peppermint or vanilla to paint, KoolAide or playdough.

Taste:  Taste Testing Party.  The teacher will provide foods that the students can eat during the party.  Any students with food allergies will bring their own in from home.  The teacher will provide food that is sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and spicy.  The students with food allergies will also bring in food that is sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and spicy.  The students complete the handout by drawing the foods into the correct section of the handout.  Handout located in unit binder.
The teacher will read the book Tasting, A Troll Question Book by Kathie Billingslea Smith and Victoria Crenson to the class.
The students will learn the taste stanza of the song, Sing a Song of Senses.
V/L; V/S; M/R
Standards Addressed:  S7a; S8a; Kindergarten Speaking and Listening Standard 1: Habits; Kindergarten REading Standard 3: Habits

Touch:  Feely Box - The teacher will create a feely box that contains pairs of objects with different textures.  The students will have to locate the like objects and remove from the box or the students will have to describe the object as smooth, hard, soft, or rough.
The teacher will read the book Touching, A Troll Question Book by Kathie Billingslea Smith and Victoria Crenson to the class.  Another book that may be read to the students is These Hands by Hope Lynne Price (Scholastic)
The Students will make a Touch Me book with or without text.
The students will learn the touch stanza of the song, Sing a Song of Senses.
V/L; L/M; B/K; M/R
Standards Addressed:  S7a; Kindergarten Speaking and Listening Standard 1: Habits; Kindergarten Reading Standard 3: Habits

The students will sing the entire song, Sing a Song of Senses.  The students will complete Purrfect Sense as a handout (with modifications) or as a hands on activity in their center.  M/R; V/S

The students will work on their Extended Piece of Work.  This is the basis for their working with the MI Smart!/Technology Teacher to create a Web page.  V/L; V/S
Standards Addressed:  Kindergarten Reading Standard 1: Print - Sound Code; Kindergarten Writing Standard 1: Habits and Processes; Kindergarten Writing Standard 3: Language Use and Conventions

The MI Smart!/Technology Teacher will come in and work with small groups to create a Five Senses Web page.
Chariho Technology Standards:  3.9

One and one half months

The students will create a Five Senses book showing how each of the senses is used during the day.  The student will draw an illustration and label it appropriately. 

Author's Tea
Mrs. Benson's AM Kindergarten Five Senses
Mrs. Benson's PM Kindergarten Five Senses
Mrs. Neill's Kindergarten Five Senses
Mrs. Tetzner's AM Kindergarten Five Senses
Mrs. Tetzner's PM Kindergarten Five Senses

Rubric for Five Senses book
Rubric for Author's Tea

V/L = Verbal / Linguistic 
L/M = Logical / Mathematical 
M/R = Musical / Rhythmic 
V/S = Visual  / Spatial 
B/K = Bodily / Kinesthetic 
Inter = Interpersonal 
Intra = Intrapersonal 
Na = Naturalist 

Chef; ear, nose & throat doctor; optomotrist; doctor; artist; food critic; chemist; fishing boat captain; textile design; weaver; fashion designer; florist; produce manager; veterinarian; hair dresser; nurse, to name a few.

Books

The Five Senses by Aliki
My Five Senses-A Lion's Tale by Judy Nayer (big book)
My Five Senses by Margaret Miller
Here Are My Hands by Bill Martin, Jr and John Archambault (Henry Holt and Co. 1985) 
Close, Closer, Closer by Shelly Rotner and Richard Olive
The Button Book by Reid
Mucky Moose by Jonathan Allan
Smelly Predator
Breathtaking Noses by Hanna Machotka
The Very Quiet Cricket by Eric Carle
Can't Sit Still
The Listening Walk
Nature Spy by Shelly Rotner and Ken Kreiseer
Smelling Things by Allan Tower
The Wonder Thing by Libby Hathorn
Too Much Noise
The Nose Book
The Noise Book
Your Smell and Feel and See and Hear by Mary Murphy
The Senses by Angela Royston
The Science Book of the Senses by Neil Ardley
You and Your Body:  Your Senses by Dorothey Baldwin and Claire Lister
How Do We Taste and Smell by Carol Ballard
Science Experiences:  The Human Senses by Jeanne Bendick
One Day I Closed My Eyes and the World Disappeared by Elizabeth Bram
The Magic School Bus-Exploring the Senses by Joanna Cole and Bruce Degen
Tasting Things by Allan Fowler
Body Detectives-A Book About the Five Senses by Rita Golden Gelman
Look Out for Rosy by Bob Graham
Where Are You Going?  by Kimberlee Graves and Rozanne Lanczak Williams
Me and My Friend by Deborah Manley
Busy Bunnies' Five Senses by Teddy Slater
My Head-to-Toe Book by Jean Tymms
Night Sounds, Morning Colors by Rosemary Wells
Who Am I? A Book to Touch and Feel by Alice Wilder

Music

Five Senses songs and poems
More Piggyback Songs

Web Sites

Five Senses - Background information as well as some additional activities that can be done with the students.  http://www.uen.org/utahlink/lp_res/TRB028.html
Ten Activities for Teaching the Five Senses - http://www.education-world.com/a_lesson/lesson183.shtml